About

BIO

Tsogtsaikhan “Tsogo” Mijid was born and raised in the heart of the luminous mountains of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. His artistic talents proved uninhibited from a young age while growing up in a society of parallel dysfunctions amid a conflicting period when strong cultural censorship and Communist idealism took place. Having lived an interesting life through various political systems in many different countries, Tsogo remains a versatile artist whose different art practices continues to reflect his ever revolving identity as a contemporary nomadic voyeur.

Tsogo graduated with a BFA in traditional Mongolian arts from Mongolian University of Art and Culture (UB/MN) in 1984 and an MFA in Graphic Arts from Shevchenko Art Academy of Ukraine in 1990. His contemporary artworks integrate much of his cultural and spiritual roots, embracing a sole expressionist flare. Thematically, Tsogo’s paintings explore the embattled emotional middle space of his marginal identity as one who coexists in duality, between that of two cultures, in both of which he is more or less a stranger. His portrayal of nomadic country life and use of traditional folklore symbology masterfully capture the essence of ethnic Mongolia, while his conceptual narratives and vibrant colors reference the disjointed facets of globalization on the contemporary Mongolian identity.

Tsogo has had numerous solo and select group exhibitions in Mongolia, Hungary, Germany, Russia and the United States with various art forms. His artworks are owned by noble peace prize laureate the 14th Dalai Lama, the former president of Mongolia Natsagiin Bagabandi, and the Denver Art Museum Asian Art Collection. Alongside his fine art practice, Tsogo remains one of the few affluent Mongolian artists in the world to follow in the ancient art of the Mongolian Tsam Mask making tradition. He remains ever so innovative and controversial in his mask creation techniques as his Tsam Mask Collections continues to challenge the ancient art form to new heights of contemporary definition.

A significant part of Tsogo’s art career also involve his role as an accomplished Buddhist thangka painter (scroll painter). As a child and into his adulthood, during the rise and fall of Communism in Mongolia, Tsogo spent ten years of his life living and studying the iconographical art of Mongolian Buddhism in secrecy under the guidance of Honorary Buddhist head Lama Gonchig in Mongolia. His unique style of authentic images for visualization are highly respected not only by the growing number of Western Buddhists but also by Mongolian and Tibetan Lamas of all traditions, many of whom have commissioned his work. In 2004, 2010, and 2016 Tsogo has had the honorable privilege to commission and gift three two large-scale thangkas for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. His thangka paintings can be seen in Buddhist centres and temples throughout the world including the “Dashchoimbol Hiid” [Dahchoimbol Monastery] in Mongolia.

In 2009, Tsogo became the first Mongolian artist to design a public sculpture in the United States entitled “Tulga” (Denver, CO) created on behalf of the Mongolian community of Colorado in dedication to the Denver-Mongolian Sister City International. He also founded the Mongolian Culture and Heritage Center of Colorado in 2003 (formerly known as Mon-Eal Mongolian Cultural Center for the Arts) the first internationally operated Mongolian arts organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Mongolian culture, heritage, and arts through education for the greater Mongolian and surrounding world communities.

In 2011, Tsogo was awarded the prestigious national Mongolian “Juuh Honorarium” medal and “The Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Culture Ambassador” medal again in 2015 by the Mongolian Ministry of Education Culture and Science from Ulaanbaatar for his outstanding and relentless years of philanthropic excellence he has dedicated for the advancement of Mongolian culture and arts in the world. Tsogo is currently in his nineteenth year of membership at the Pirate Contemporary Art Gallery in Denver, Colorado where he reside with his family and continues to pursue his art.